Straw-stacker



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. FLESIIER AND MARIEN L. FLESHER, OF ROSSVILLF, KANSAS.

ST RAW-ST'ACKER.

SPECIFICATION forining part of Letters Patent No. 416,589, dated December 3, 1889. Application filed March 20, 1889. Serial No. 303,953. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN H. FLESHER and MARIEN L. FLESHER, citizens of the United States, residing at Rossville, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straw-Stackers, of which the following is a specification. V

The object of the present invention is=to provide a simple, cheap, light, durable, and compact straw-stacker; and said invention consists in certain features of novelty, which are particularly pointed out'in the claims hereinafter, a straw-stacker embodying said invention being first fully described as a whole, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l 1 is a side elevation of a strawstacker embodying the invention, with a portion of one of the side braces broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

1 represents the upright of the stacker, which rises perpendicularly from the center of a sill 2. The upright is preferably c011- structed of two pieces of timber 1, between which are placed, at top and bottom, respectively, blocks 1 and 1 for holding said timbers at a distance apart.

3 3 represent braces, which extend from the outer ends of sill 2 to the top of the upright 1 for the purpose of holding the latter against sidewise movement. At each end of the sill 2 is hinged a loop or metallic strap 4, through which loops pass the stakes, which are driven into the ground for holding the stacker in place.

5 represents a brace, one end of which is perforated and inserted between the timbers 1, where it maybe pivotally secured at any desired height by passing a pin 6 through its perforation and through any of a series of perforations 6, formed through said timbers. By employing a hinge connection between this brace and the upright and making it vertically adjustable said upright maybe placed and braced in perfectly vertical position, notwithstanding any slope which the ground upon which it stands may have. The other end of this brace 5 is provided with a hinged loop or strap '7, similar to straps 4, for enabling it to be staked to the ground. To the brace 5 is secured a bracket 8, which projects therefrom for such a distance and at such an angle that when the stacker is in working position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the vertical plane of the outer extremity of said bracket will fall beyond the extremity of the brace 5. At this outer extremity is journaled a pulley 10, over which passes the lifting-rope, as hereinafter explained.

11 represents the fork, which is secured to the extremity of a fork-arm consisting of two pieces of timber 12 12, whose converging extremities straddle and are pivoted to the upright at 13. A single lifting-rope 14: is secured tothe fork at 15, whence it passes over pulley 10, thence over a pulley 16, journaled at the top of the upright 1, thence under a pulley 17, secured by a bracket 18 to the lower part of said upright, and thence off to the source of power. I prefer to construct the bracket 8 of a strip of metal of U shape, its central part 9 being widened laterally and provided with a longitudinal slot for the reception of the pulley 10.

In order to brace and steady the fork during its ascent, so that its arm shall not be twisted or bent sidewise by the unequal strains to which it will be subjected,- a pair of metallic guides 19 are secured to the uprightl, said guides-being so bent and arranged that they bear at all times against the said arm. Looking at these guides from the side, (shown in Fig. 1,) they are seen to be semicircular, and their opposite ends are secured to the sides of the upright at such points that they are eccentric with respect to the pivotal point 13 of the fork-arm. Looking at them from above, as in Fig. 2, or from the front side, as in Fig. 3, they will be seen to diverge upward. The angle of this divergence depends upon and bears acertain relation to the angle of divergence of the sides of the fork-arm 12 and the degree of eccentricity of the guides with respect to the pivotal point of said arm. If the sides of the fork-arm be parallel, (whether its pivotal point be eccentric or concentric with respect to the guides,) or if the guides be concentric with respect to the pivotal point of the fork-arm, (whether the sides of the latter be parallel or dive'rgent,) said guides should have no divergence, but be parallel.

If the pivotal point of the forkarm be at the periphery of the guides, the maximum angle of divergence of the latter is necessary-z". 0., an angle equal to the angle of divergence of the sides of the arm. In all cases the guides 19 are situated at such distances apart that they hear at all times against the sides of the fork-arm. In the drawings they are shown passing up between the pieces 12 12, which form the fork-arm and bearing against their inner faces. Thisarrangement may be reversed. V

The upper part of each of the guides is formed with an offset portion 20, which enables its upper extremity to be secured to the upright 1. This upper extremity may, however, be secured to the brace 3 or any other part of the frame of the stacker, if its frame be not constructed as shown in the drawings.

A stacker constructed as shown and described may, for convenience in transporting it from place to place or storing it away when not in use, be folded up into a very compact form. It has the further advantage of being exceedingly light and cheap, owing to the fact that it comprises only a minimum number of parts of the simplest possible construction; and be it remembered that to provide a stacker of the simplest possible construction is the principal object of our invention.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1..A straw-stacker consisting of a single upright 1, a single sill from which said upright rises, inclined side braces extending from the sill to the upright, a single front brace, a fork,a fork-arm pivoted to the upright, and the lifting mechanism, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

2. A straw-stacker consisting of a frame having a single sill, a single front brace 5, the fork, the hinged fork-arm, and the lifting mechanism, substantially as set forth.

3. A straw-stacker consisting of a frame having a single sill, a single front brace 5, hinged to said frame, the fork, the hinged fork-arm, and the lifting mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A straw-stacker consisting of a frame havinga sill, the loops l, secured to the ends of said sills, the front brace 5, having loop 7 the fork, the hinged fork-arm, and the lifting mechanism, substantially as set forth.

5. In a straw-stacker, the combination of a frame consisting of a single sill and a superstructure built thereon, a front brace sustaining said frame in a direction tral'isverse to its sill, a fork, a fork-arm hinged to the frame, lifting mechanism, and a guide secured to the frame and bearing against the fork-arm for steadying it, substantially as set forth.

(5. In a straw-stacker, the combination of a frame consisting of a single sill and a superstructure built thereon, a front brace sustaining said frame in a direction transverse to its sill, a fork, a fork-arm hinged to the frame, lifting mechanism, and a curved guide secured at both ends to the frame and bearing against the fork-arm, for the purpose set forth.

7. In a straw-stacker, the combination, with a frame, a fork, a hinged fork-arm, and lifting mechanism, of a curved guide having its ends secured to the frame upon opposite sides of the pivotal point of the fork-arm, substantially as set forth.

8. In a straw-stacker, the combination, with a frame, a fork, a hinged fork-arm, and lifting mechanism, of a curved guide secured to the frame, so as to be eccentric with respect to the pivotal point of the fork-arm, substantially as set forth.

9. In a straw-stacker, the combination,with a frame, a fork, a hinged fork-arm having divergent sides, and lifting mechanism, of curved guides secured to the frame, so as to be eccentric with respect to the pivotal point of the fork-arm, said guides being also divergent, substantially as set forth.

10. In a straw-stacker, the combination, with a frame, a fork, a fork-arm consisting of the pieces 12 12, hinged to the frame and diverging outward, and the lifting mechanism, of the curved diverging guides 19 19, secured to the frame eccentrically with respect to the pivotal point of the fork-arm and having the offset portions 20, substantially as set forth.

11. In a straw-stacker, the combination of the frame having a single sill, the fork, the fork-arm hinged to the frame, the lifting mechanism, and a single front brace having a vertically-adj ustable hinged connection with the frame, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination, with the frame, the fork, the hinged fork-arm, and the liftingrope, of the U -shaped bracket 8, enlarged laterally and slotted longitudinally at 9, and the pulley 19, iournaled to the bracket and occupyin g said slot, substantially as set forth.

JOHN H. FLESIIER. MARIEN L. FLESIIER.

Vitnesses:

.1. II. CHIMAN, .1. II. AIKINs. 

